Leveraging twitter in education

Stan Skrabut@skrabut#UWCES

http://www.slideshare.net/skrabut

Leveraging Twitter in Education

You have certainly heard about Twitter, you cannot go anywhere without hearing about it.

As an educator, you wonder if Twitter has a use in the classroom.

You do not want to waste your time implementing a new tool.

You want to have a list of effective strategies for using this new tool.

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I will not only explain what Twitter is but also help you discover ideas for implementation.

In order to learn how to leverage

Twitter, you must first understand

the tool.

Twitter is equivalent to a radio broadcasting station.

Messages are sent in real time and are organized chronologically.

Each message can only be 140 characters in length.

You should not send anything you do not want the public to see.

You can send Tweets through countless devices and applications.

At the basic level, Twitter has its own Website that you can use.

You can also use your cell phone to send and receive messages.

You can also receive messages through special desktop, Web, and iPad programs.

Twitter has its own jargon that you should be familiar with.

Tweet

Retweet

Direct Message

Reply

To reply to someone, type @username and then the message.

When you are retweeting, you are forwarding the message.

You can send a direct message, but typing D and then the username.

You can use a hashtag to group and filter messages.

Why use this tool?

Twitter has a number of advantages as a communication tool.

Tweets are short and to the point, making them easy to skim for content.

You can share ideas with followers and the public.

Updates can be received from different devices and methods.

Disadvantage of using twitter

Twitter is messy because it is real time; the conversations are not linear.

Some people are constrained by the 140 character limit.

Unregulated, Twitter can be like drinking from a fire hydrant.

If for nothing else, you can use Twitter as a great feedback tool.

Backchannel for classes using a hashtag.

You can follow research topics in real time using search queries.

You can receive input from individuals who are normally silent.

Here are some ideas on how you can weave Twitter into your classes.

Here are some ideas how you can use Twitter prior to class starting.

You can pose questions to find out more about the students in the class.

You can ask students about what they hope to gain from the class.

You can also incorporate icebreakers so students can get to know one another.

Here are ideas for using Twitter during class.

You and your students can follow subject matter experts

You can also follow trending subjects using queries.

Encourage the backchannel to solicit ideas and ongoing feedback.

You can use twitter to support the class between face to face sessions

You can encourage students to discuss successes and challenges with course material.

Encourage students to share resources and great ideas.

You can divide the class into groups and have an online debate.

You can have students role play scenarios.

You can have your students reflect on articles, chapters, books, films, etc.

You can collect response through a brainstorming session.

You can take the pulse of students through questions or polls.

Students can practice different languages with native speakers.

During the course, you can conduct formative and summative evaluations.

Finally, here are some ideas for leveraging twitter post class.

Continue the in class conversations using the same or new hashtags.

You can ask students to share feedback on the class.

Reference